Chemical vapor deposition systems are commonly used to deposit films on wafers destined for use in the computer industry. Chemical vapor deposition systems are typically equipped with the following components: (1) a chemical vapor deposition chamber; (2) gas sources; (3) inlet lines for feeding gas from the gas sources into the deposition chamber; (4) a mechanism for heating the wafers on which the film is to be deposited; (5) an outlet line; and (6) a vacuum source for evacuating waste by-products from the deposition chamber through the outlet line.
A problem associated with existing chemical vapor deposition systems relates to the accumulation of waste by-product within the outlet or exhaust vacuum lines. Specifically, as exhaust gas from a deposition chamber travels through an outlet vacuum line, waste by-product such as silicon dust and other materials become deposited on the inner surface of the outlet vacuum line. The gradual accumulation of waste byproduct within the outlet vacuum line results in the partial or total occlusion of the outlet vacuum line. As a result, at regular intervals, such outlet vacuum lines are required to be disassembled and cleaned. Typically, the accumulation is removed from the outlet vacuum line by soaking the line in de-ionized water and alcohol to dissolve the accumulated material within the line. Depending upon the severity of the accumulation and the length of the outlet line, the cleansing process can often takes from two to three days.